The USA has pulled out of the most significant climate agreement in history, abolished almost all previous regulations that tackled climate change, attempted to revitalise the coal industry, has climate change sceptics in the highest environmental positions, and the majority of the population is not aware that humans are causing global warming.

Trump’s opinion on climate change

[Piers Morgan] “Do you believe in climate change? Do you believe it exists?”

[Trump]“There is a cooling, and there is a heating…Piers, I’ll tell you what I believe in. I believe in clear air. I believe in crystal-clear, beautiful water. I believe in just having good cleanliness in all”

Trump has literally said (see above) that he doesn’t “necessarily agree” that humans have been the overwhelming cause for climate change. That there are also scientists who “dispute” climate change, and all he wants is the “cleanest air”. These are ill educated, propagandist, and nonsensical words from the most powerful man in the world. He urgently needs to implement all forms of green technology and every possible regulation to even come close to reversing climate change, now. However, he doesn’t even believe it is happening .

Trump’s administration

In 2017 Kathleen Hartnett was Trump’s environmental advisor:

She could not answer basic questions posed by the Senate committee on the environment; “You don’t believe climate change is real?”, she replies “I’m very uncertain”.

She also criticised the 2007 Supreme Court decision that the federal government had the legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, “Carbon dioxide has none of the characteristics of a pollutant”.

Robert Murray, the head of Murray Energy (one of America’s largest coal companies) called the Paris Accord “illegal” and is in the running for a position at the Environmental Protection Agency right now.

Trump’s current policies

Donald Trump (Source: The Times)

New Greenhouse Gas regulations for coal fired power plants that allows individual states to decide voluntarily whether they wish to curb CO2 emissions.

The policies above demonstrate one motive only, to maintain profits, and will quite literally exacerbate the effects of climate change. These are just a few of Trump’s current policies, and this agenda may lead to 80,000 extra deaths per decade.

The frightening reality; Trump and his administration are climate change sceptics who are decimating critical legislation that sought to reverse climate change, they are encouraging fossil fuel use, and display a delusional tunnel vision to prioritise the American economy at all costs- all whilst we are in a climate crisis.

The American Population

Activists protesting after Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord last year (Source: Drew Angerer/ Getty images)

The Paris Agreement

Most quintessentially, in 2015 Trump announced America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. The most important climate change agreement in history, signed by 195 countries to tackle the crisis that America is most responsible for.

“To protect America and its citizens, the US will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord… disadvantages the US for the exclusive benefit of the other countries… taxpayers with lost jobs, lower wages, shutted factories and vastly diminished economic production”

Trump is viewing a crisis that his country is responsible for though a narrow, selfish, cost benefit and, as will be discussed, incorrectlens.

If the agreement will kill so many jobs and cost so much money, why are businesses so uniformly supportive?

Exxon (argues that cleaner burning natural gas can help the USA reach emissions goals), The World Coal Association (endorsed the deal as one that gives countries the chance to prioritize technology that could make coal fired power less environmentally damaging), The Business Council for Sustainable Energy, EBay, Lyft, HP inc. Overall, a staggering 360 companies wrote to him saying they support the agreement.

An inherent contradiction:

Solar Projects in the US (Source: seia.org)

Solar jobs are growing 17 times faster than the overall U.S. economy, 1.2 million clean energy jobs are in states that voted for Trump and over 2.6 million clean energy jobs are in the US as a whole.

However, of course, it never came into force. It was loathed by the US supreme court in 2016. Trump’s words as he rolled back the plan “Boom, gone”.

If we are to tackle climate change in the speed that is necessary, the first step is for America to take action. Instead of looking aghast at Trump from a distance, we must expose his stance on climate change, and hope that democratic oversight of the house of representatives takes on the responsibility of the green revolution.